"Take them down!"
Zhou Fugui and his men, having escaped to safety, returned to the military camp. After leading the two young girls, Feiyue and Nianhua, into his tent, Zhou Fugui gave the order.
Xu Mancang, Dian Meng, and others, though unsure of Zhou Fugui's intentions, immediately pinned Feiyue and Nianhua to the ground. Dian Meng, with his immense strength, seized Feiyue with one hand, while Pan Jianguo held Nianhua with both.
"Brother Fugui, what is this...?" Xu Mancang, who had not participated in the capture, asked in great surprise.
"Da Zongtongfo? Hmph, who is he..." Zhou Fugui began.
"Not good, Flag Commander!" Pan Jianguo suddenly cried out before Zhou Fugui could finish his sentence.
At that very moment, the two girls had already ingested poison.
"Oh dear, you... you... what are you doing?" Zhou Fugui, seeing this, panicked and quickly said, "Zhou has no intention of harming you two ladies!"
"Dog thief, Han traitor, faithless scoundrel, may you die a horrible death!" Nianhua's mouth bled a trickle of black blood, and with a ferocious expression, she glared at Zhou Fugui and spoke.
Within moments, both girls succumbed to the poison and died.
"I... this... this..." Zhou Fugui was flustered and at a loss.
"Zhou Fugui, what do you mean by this?" Xu Mancang, now too angry to even call him 'brother,' pointed at Zhou Fugui and demanded.
"What do I mean? If we keep these two girls, our lives will be in peril!" Zhou Fugui mumbled in reply.
"Afraid of death? Are you a coward?" Xu Mancang angrily retorted.
"Nonsense!" Zhou Fugui, overwhelmed by anger, pointed at his best friend Xu Mancang and cursed, "Afraid of death? Zhou is afraid of death! Zhou is afraid that after death, my father, no, my father died long ago... my mother, my brothers, my sisters-in-law, my younger sisters, my nephew, all will die! And you, Xu Mancang, your father, your mother, your family, all will surely die, and you, and your families!"
"I..." Zhou Fugui continued to curse, and Xu Mancang was immediately dejected, muttering in a low voice, "Actually, I think Master Mi Shi's words are not without merit. The barbarians are cruel; it would be better to rebel!"
"Nonsense!" Zhou Fugui cursed again, "Rebellion? What do you have to rebel with? How many guns do you have? How many knives? How many bows and arrows? How many sets of armor? How many horses? How many men? Just with our fewer than two hundred brothers? Huh, tell me!"
Some of the Xianbei, like Albugu, were brutal; Zhou Fugui had witnessed it firsthand. He also wished to rebel and overthrow Albugu and others, avenging the deceased commoners. But, as Zhou Fugui said, to rise up in rebellion now would be a dead end, and worse, it would lead to the deaths of their families.
Regardless of the dynasty, rebellion was an unforgivable crime, punishable by the extermination of the entire clan!
Simultaneously, not all Xianbei were irredeemable; there was Murong Tengge, for example.
No matter what kind of person Murong Tengge was, he had shown kindness to Zhou Fugui. This was also one of the reasons why Zhou Fugui was unwilling to rebel.
"Flag Commander speaks with reason!" Pan Jianguo said coldly.
"Master Mi Shi still has many people," Xu Mancang's voice grew softer as he spoke.
"Flag Commander is right..." Li Qing, having heard the commotion, arrived. Although he hadn't been to the City God Temple, a brief inquiry made him understand the situation. He then said, "Anyone who achieves great things must have the right timing, favorable geography, and popular support. Lacking any one of these makes success impossible. Even with all three, the chances of success are still slim. As for Master Mi Shi and others, they are merely a disorganized rabble and are doomed to fail!"
"I..." Xu Mancang finally began to understand Zhou Fugui's intentions and asked in a low voice, "Brother Fugui, it was I... I was wrong. What should we do next?"
"Hmm..." Zhou Fugui, no longer bothering with the simple-minded Xu Mancang, pondered and said, "Master Mi Shi and his group, there are two possibilities for their identity. One, they are people who wish to incite the Han army to rebel, and they will be the ones to profit from it. Two, they are spies from the Xia army. Regardless of who they are, I will turn a deaf ear to all external affairs."
After pondering for a long time, Zhou Fugui issued an order: "Issue my command: for the next period, the White Tiger Banner is forbidden from leaving the camp. Anyone who must leave must first seek permission. Those who disobey will be beheaded!"
"We obey the Flag Commander's order!" Dian Meng, Li Qing, Pan Jianguo, and others bowed in unison to receive the command. Xu Mancang also cupped his hands and bowed.
Zhou Fugui then looked at the bodies of the two women and sighed, unsure of what to do.
...
"Longxiang!"
"Everyone, step aside!"
"Xiaowu!"
"Everyone, step aside!"
"Shenrui!"
"Everyone, step aside!"
With the great war between Yan and Xia imminent, today, three thousand cavalry of the Yan army – Longxiang, Xiaowu, and Shenrui – entered the Han army's camp.
These three thousand cavalry were composed entirely of people from the Xianbei, Di, Qiang, and Jie tribes, with not a single Han among them. The Longxiang army consisted entirely of Xianbei tribesmen, personally led by Murong Bole, the commander-in-chief of the Yan army.
These three thousand cavalry were the most elite of the Yan army, truly the elite of the elite among the hundred thousand Yan soldiers. Every man chosen was a strong warrior, and their weapons, horses, and armor were the best and most sophisticated in the Great Yan Kingdom.
With the clatter of hooves and the clang of armor, three thousand well-equipped and imposing Yan elite cavalry entered the Han army's camp. It was rumored that Yan troops were also patrolling the surrounding areas, causing great confusion and unease among the Han soldiers.
"The Commander-in-Chief will ascend the tent! All Xiangling, Lingjun, Junshi, Dujian, Yingguan, and Qiguan are to attend!"
Murong Bole, the commander-in-chief of the Yan army, personally led his troops. Over two thousand fierce personal guards lined both sides, guarding the central military tent like an iron bucket. A loud-voiced herald stood outside the tent and announced in a booming voice.
Following this, the generals and officials of the Han army, from the rank of Qi above, entered the central military tent in succession. Zhou Fugui was among them.
Zhou Fugui walked with his hand silently on his saber.
Had the matter at the City God Temple finally surfaced? Zhou Fugui wondered inwardly. Could it be that his suspicions were true?
In reality, Zhou Fugui truly did not want such a thing to happen. He truly did not wish to be proven right. Although Zhou Fugui was unwilling to join them, he did not want them to be... After all, their slogan was to save the common people from suffering and to restore the Han dynasty.
"We, your subordinates, pay our respects to the Great Commander!"
After Murong Tengge, the commander of the Han army, along with several hundred Yan generals of various ranks, paid their respects to Murong Bole in the tent, they took their positions on either side of the great tent.
Murong Bole sat at the head of the central military tent, his expression stern. To his right sat a middle-aged scholar, dressed in a long gown over a fur robe, with three sparse strands of beard under his chin, possessing a rather gaunt appearance. To Murong Bole's left stood a young general of twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old.
The young general was tall and handsome, clad in luxurious armor and clothing. A slight smirk played on his lips, and his expression was rather arrogant.
All three were seated, while everyone else stood in the tent.
Behind Murong Tengge stood over twenty golden-armored guards, each powerfully built and tall. Except for one. Compared to the golden-armored guards, this individual was shorter, and the fur hanging from his helmet almost completely obscured his face.
"Bang! Tengge, lead your troops!"
Murong Bole suddenly slammed his hand down on the desk and roared.
"Tengge is here!" Murong Bole's sudden outburst left Murong Tengge utterly bewildered. He hastily stepped forward and replied.
"Do you know your crime?" Murong Bole asked.
"Hmm? What crime have I committed?" Murong Tengge retorted.
"Tengge..." Murong Bole continued furiously, "With the great war imminent, yet there are rebels causing trouble within the Han army. As the commander of an army, you are completely unaware?"
Guangling Commandery, a crucial strategic point of Xia, had been besieged by the Yan army for three months. The Prefect of Guangling, Huang Yanlin, had been assassinated, leaving Guangling Commandery leaderless. Murong Bole had sent emissaries to demand surrender, but the military and civilians of Guangling Commandery had sworn to resist the Yan army to the death. Thus, Murong Bole planned to take advantage of the chaos and launch a full-scale assault. However, at this critical juncture, internal strife erupted within the army. How could Murong Bole not be enraged?
Having failed to capture Guangling Commandery after three months of siege, Murong Bole had already become a laughingstock. This incident would only lead to further ridicule. The young general beside Murong Bole was undoubtedly mocking him in his heart, and he would likely send a rider to report this matter to his father, the Left Commander Murong Wang, and even to the Yan court.
Murong Tengge had good character, but his leadership abilities were lacking. Otherwise, Murong Tengge would not have assigned him to command only the auxiliary Han troops, this ragtag force.
"What? There are rebels causing trouble in the army? I... this... this... how is that possible?" Murong Tengge was greatly shocked by this news. Winter had already arrived, and although the south was not as cold as the north, the weather was already quite chilly. Cold sweat had broken out on Murong Tengge's back.
"General Tengge..." The middle-aged scholar sitting to Murong Bole's right, surnamed Tang Qingci, was an interpreter for the Yan army, proficient in Xianbei, Xiongnu, and Han languages, and also a trusted advisor to Murong Bole. Murong Bole's allowing him to sit by his side demonstrated the great importance he placed on Tang Qingci. Tang Qingci spoke, "The Lesser Vehicle Sect, have you heard of it, General? The Lesser Vehicle Sect originated from Mount Hezhu. It venerates Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. After establishing a foothold on Mount Hezhu, it spread throughout the southeastern commanderies and has also infiltrated the commanderies of Hebei. The followers of this sect number in the millions. Currently, the Lesser Vehicle Sect has already infiltrated the army, instigating factions and plotting rebellion. General Tengge, with internal strife within the army, how can you engage in a great war with the southern rebel army?"
So it was the Lesser Vehicle Sect? Zhou Fugui thought to himself, his suspicions confirmed. They had been exposed, and Murong Bole and his men must have already known about these matters. Had Murong Bole and his men discovered his visit to the City God Temple that day?
As Zhou Fugui pondered, cold sweat also broke out on his back.
"Lesser Vehicle Sect? Tengge has never heard of it..." Murong Tengge stammered, sweat pouring down his face.
"Arrest them! Arrest them immediately!" Murong Bole gave Murong Tengge a cold glance and issued an order, "Order all Xiang, Jun, Ying, and Qi to carefully screen individuals with suspicious behavior, especially those who have gone out recently. Arrest them all for examination. Batu En, Su Heba, Mo Ergu, the three generals, will oversee this matter!"
"Your subordinates obey the Great Commander's order!" Batu En, Nari Ge, and Mo Ergu, the three generals, responded loudly.
Batu En, Nari Ge, and Mo Ergu were the leaders of the Longxiang, Xiaowu, and Shenrui armies respectively.
"Where is Flag Commander Zhou of the Guogan Battalion?" Murong Bole suddenly asked, looking towards Zhou Fugui.
"This humble one is here, Great Commander. What is it?" Zhou Fugui, startled by the question, stepped forward and asked with a calm expression.